Film Opening Deconstruction: Six-String Samurai (1998)

Directed By Lance Mungia

For my first film opening deconstruction I have decided to do the film Six string samurai,
which is about Russia dropping a atomic bomb on America and the only place left is a city
called Lost Vegas and Elvis Presley has died and they need a new king.
Camera Work
The film opens to real footage of the Americans testing an
atomic bomb; the significance of this is so that the viewer
gets a real sense of destruction which is the primary theme
in this film.
When the main character first enters the scene we never
actually see his face. Because he is always looking away
from the camera, being over cast by shadows or as in the
first instance being blocked by the foliage in the
environment, maybe to add a sense of mystery to identity
of this unknown hero.
Sound
The first thing you hear in this movie, is a very soft tune played on an exilaphoine which is
very soothing, but is then seen to be a complete contrast to the blood curdling scream of
the two civilians that follows. When the hero arrives, a very lively guitar and drum piece
beings probable to try and match the high levels of energy shown by the main characters
fighting style.
Editing
The introduction of the film is produced on to a type writer
real which gives the impression that this is a report of the
events that followed the end of the world, the narrator
acts like as if he is informing someone of this tragedy with
a voice full of sorrow. Title roles that follow appear every
time a new character enters the frame and then
immediately disappear as that person is killed.


Mise-en-scne
The first people we see are dressed in rags which give
the impression that the overall living standard of the
civilian population is rather terrible; in addition to that
the bandits are covered in old car parts acting as
improvised protection, this also tell us that the
production of such essential items has stopped
implying that industry is none existent. When the hero
enters he leaps over the boy in an act of protection to
save his life. Throughout the intro the light never shines on the heroes face or is covered by
the tall grass probably in an effort to cover his identity to maintain secrecy in the eyes of the
viewers. The fact that the heroes sword is covered in blood and is severely damaged
probably means that he has had lots of experience in battle as well as killing people.
Representation of characters
The young boys mother fulfils the stereotype of women
being weak and helpless; this becomes apparent as she
dies in the first 30 seconds of the film. Her son shortly
follows suit, without his mothers protection he falls to the
ground with a look of fear in his eyes. But on the other
had the hero of the film fulfils the stereotype of a typical
man in that he is brave, decisive as well as being very
mysterious.
Aspects I might use

Probably the only aspects I will take away from the
opening will be that they use real life footage to
illustrate the time period in the film and the fact that
the opening was read like a report on the events that
occurred to introduce the story.